


Believe in Cause and Effect

by farad



Series: Epistles [5]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-14
Updated: 2013-07-14
Packaged: 2017-12-20 05:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/883393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farad/pseuds/farad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set before "Serpents" but after "Achilles"; for the Daybook prompt "Ezra, any, sometimes, the only good guy is the (barely) reformed bad guy."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Believe in Cause and Effect

**Author's Note:**

> Un-betaed, all mistakes my very own.

 

_"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect."_  
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

_Dear Ezra,_

 

_I hope this missive finds you in good health and Lady Luck smiling down upon you. It would be most welcome if she would smile down on someone as she seems to have forgotten my existence altogether._

 

_As we discussed when last we talked, I have made my way to San Francisco – what a city, my friend! While nowhere near as elegant as New Orleans or Savannah or even Boston or New York, it is a city nonetheless, teeming with people of every persuasion and every profession._

 

_I have settled in at a small hotel in a less-traveled section of town, where it's quieter and the people are more appreciative of the money I can pay them. That may be, of course, why Lady Luck has neglected me; I may be out of her level of concern, here in the backstreets of the city. But it is a good place, a comfortable place, and I have accustomed myself to the varieties of food that the Celestials serve in the local establishments. Like yourself, I am no stranger to the vast diversity of cultures we share in this country, and I find that it is often wise to have friends from a number of diverse areas._

 

_I have been frequenting several different fine establishments, The Silver Dollar, Drunken Parrot near the waterfront, and the Gilded Lily. I had the pleasure of encountering several lovely courtesans who seem to know you and your associates rather well. Miss Emily and Miss Nora have generous comments about your nobility and virtues, and they seem to think that you, in particular, are quite the gentleman and scholar. I have been tasked with sending you and your compatriots their high regards and concerns for your health and well-being. Perhaps one day, you might enlighten me as to how you came to know these fine women and their many charms._

 

_More to the point though, at least in terms of the things you have asked of me, I did track down the address that you asked about – being here in the area of the Celestials made it easier. I have asked after the woman in question, and she is well. I had the pleasure of shopping in the small store that she owns – well, that her family owns, though it is clear that she is the one in charge. A lovely collection of sundries and fresh foods, as well as most of the necessities of life. And at a good, competitive price. It is clear that she has a very good head on her shoulders when it comes to business and dealing with competition, of which there is a plenitude in her area; she is on the edge of the area the Celestials dominate, so she gets some business from people other than those of Eastern culture – in fact, it seems to me that she gets quite a bit of business from people such as ourselves who are unfearing of new ideas and new practices, particularly when it comes to healing. I found a lovely new ointment on her shelves, one that has benefited my shortened appendage most delightfully. Not only has the ointment aided in comfort, but it has also aided in the other tasks to which that appendage has been put to use._

 

_Yes, I know, that belies what I said earlier about Lady Luck abandoning me. In truth, she has not so much abandoned me as helped me to be more circumspect in my activities. While San Francisco has more places for those of us who trade in entertainments and games of chance (while careful about the 'chance' itself), it also has more men like us, those who are aware of the dangers of this profession, both monetarily and physically. One cannot sit down at a table and assume that one is the most proficient player – there are gentlemen here who do not carry themselves with the finesse that we do but who do know most of the tricks of the trade and ply them most effectively._

 

_What I am saying, my friend, is that this is a far more challenging place than I had imagined. There is, unquestionably, money to be made here. With so many professionals underfoot, there are high-stake games every night. I have played in several, and while I have held my own, I admit that it is quite the challenge. What I have noticed is that the winners in these games seem to be working in teams of two or more – at least until the House realizes that there are teams playing._

 

_I should like, then, to make a suggestion or if you prefer, an offer of a business arrangement. If you could find your way out here, for a week at the least, more if you can manage it, then I think that we could combine our talents and our resources to garner no small profit. As we are men of a common refinement, we might have to go to some lengths to disguise our partnership, but I think that we are intelligent enough and wise enough in the ways of the world and of people to accomplish this at least to a point of mutual benefit. Needless to say, the more money we have between us to invest in this venture, the better. I was at a table last night where the reserve to get in was two thousand; I recouped my initial reserve and doubled it, and together I suspect we will do even better, but the more we have, the better quality of game we would play. If you could invest two or three thousand, we would have enough between us to enter the sorts of games that would be most lucrative to our endeavor. Perhaps you could ask your friends to invest? They trust you with their lives, which seems worth far more than their money._

 

_You have also mentioned your mother, who, if I recall correctly, is currently in Saint Louis? I believe you mentioned at one time that the two of you had worked together in the past, and certainly the addition of a canny and intelligent woman to our arrangement could only improve the potential for profit. I leave it to your discretion, of course, but should you feel that you could work with her once again and that she would be a benefit to our enterprise, I would most welcome her addition._

 

_I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience, and I hope for good news as to your joining me here. The Celestials will be able to provide us with almost anything we need, including a certain amount of privacy so that we may begin our dealings together._

 

 

_With all good fortune,_

 

_Lester Banks_

 


End file.
